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VIC MORGAN COLUMN: We must remember those fans who lost their lives at Hillsborough

It was a bright April afternoon, Swindon Town were taking one of their regular tilts at the play-offs.

In those days it was the old Second Division, or the Championship as it is now. The visitors were Watford, a decent enough team, but Town got the early breakthrough through "Chalky" White inside the opening quarter-of-an-hour.

It was about then that the first reports were starting to drift through.

I was commentating on what looked like turning into another successful season under Lou Macari.

What became clear over the next couple of hours, was that football hardly mattered that day.

For the record, Watford equalised and Swindon gained another poInt. The day I'm talking about April 15, 1989. It's a day we'll commemorate this weekend.

Matches will kick off at seven minutes past three today to pay tribute to those who lost their lives that fateful day at Hillsborough.

As the afternoon unfolded it became obvious that the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest was the scene of one of the game’s blackest days.

The job of talking about Swindon's game became secondary as news of the first deaths came through.

I spoke to club officials after the match. All, like every fan, were visibly shocked. Just a few years after the Bradford fire, another tragedy had scarred football.

At that moment there was confusion about what exactly had happened. That is still being investigated all these years later. Hopefully the truth will emerge, giving some peace to those who lost loved ones that day.

Whoever is to blame one thing is sure, football fans went to a game and never came back. That should never happen.

Watching a sport should never cost you your life.

Following that day, the landscape of the sport changed forever.

The victims deserve their memory to be respected and that dreadful day never to be forgotten.

Comments

Still remember it well.
Car full of lads quiet for once and then watching it all unfold on TV later that night.

Terrible scenes and today when football can and should unite.

RIP.

Still remember it well.
Car full of lads quiet for once and then watching it all unfold on TV later that night.
Terrible scenes and today when football can and should unite.
RIP.TheDukeOfBanbury

Still remember it well.
Car full of lads quiet for once and then watching it all unfold on TV later that night.

Terrible scenes and today when football can and should unite.

RIP.

Score: 0

archeroo
9:36am Sat 12 Apr 14

Still makes me terribly sad whenever i think of Hillsborough. I remember being at the Watford game and seeing the new scoreboard saying semi final delayed and the questions going around the ground. Then rumours someone had tragically died started to spread to then getting home and seeing the scenes on tv and feeling so empty. A dreadful day that deserves every football to unite over to pay there respects.

Still makes me terribly sad whenever i think of Hillsborough. I remember being at the Watford game and seeing the new scoreboard saying semi final delayed and the questions going around the ground. Then rumours someone had tragically died started to spread to then getting home and seeing the scenes on tv and feeling so empty. A dreadful day that deserves every football to unite over to pay there respects.archeroo

Still makes me terribly sad whenever i think of Hillsborough. I remember being at the Watford game and seeing the new scoreboard saying semi final delayed and the questions going around the ground. Then rumours someone had tragically died started to spread to then getting home and seeing the scenes on tv and feeling so empty. A dreadful day that deserves every football to unite over to pay there respects.

Score: 0

Old-Stager, Hilperton
12:00pm Sat 12 Apr 14

Moments in history are these.
I was walking over the middle of the Magic Roundabout, when I heard the terrible news on my pocket radio.
I also recall another of these moments after an evening game during the Falklands Conflict, and I was walking up the Drove Road.
H.M.S. Sheffield had been hit by the "Argies", and that also was a time when our fans went quiet on the way home.

Moments in history are these.
I was walking over the middle of the Magic Roundabout, when I heard the terrible news on my pocket radio.
I also recall another of these moments after an evening game during the Falklands Conflict, and I was walking up the Drove Road.
H.M.S. Sheffield had been hit by the "Argies", and that also was a time when our fans went quiet on the way home.Old-Stager, Hilperton

Moments in history are these.
I was walking over the middle of the Magic Roundabout, when I heard the terrible news on my pocket radio.
I also recall another of these moments after an evening game during the Falklands Conflict, and I was walking up the Drove Road.
H.M.S. Sheffield had been hit by the "Argies", and that also was a time when our fans went quiet on the way home.

Ipsoregulated

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